Background
In June 2022, the New Mexico
Environment Department (NMED) Ground Water
Quality Bureau (GWQB) identified a historical dry cleaner at the
South Carlisle Shopping Village strip mall, located at the intersection of
Carlisle Blvd SE and Simms Ave SE in Albuquerque, for further assessment. The
former dry cleaners include Carlisle Village Cleaners. The chemicals associated with historic dry-cleaning operations,
including tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its breakdown chemical
trichloroethene (TCE), have the potential to enter buildings through
subsurface soil gas vapors.
In January 2022, NMED completed a Pre-CERCLA
Screening report. In July 2022, NMED
completed an Abbreviated Preliminary Assessment, in which NMED collected
subsurface soil gas vapor samples at the former dry cleaner. Laboratory
results indicated the presence of PCE and TCE in soil gas. In August 2022, the
NMED GWQB recommended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) further
assess potential soil gas vapor intrusion at the former dry cleaner and four additional commercial buildings within the strip mall and conduct additional
sampling to identify the location and source of the chemicals.
Previous Activities
NMED/Site
Assessment Activities recap
Pre-CERCLA
Screening conducted by NMED January 2022
Abbreviated
Preliminary Assessment conducted by NMED July 2022
Referred to
Removal in August 2022
Reassessment
conducted by EPA Site Assessment June 2023
Community
Meeting hosted by NMED with EPA support September 2023
Residential Indoor Air and Crawlspace Air sampling by NMED October 2023
Sampling of subsurface soil and soil vapor by NMED November 2023
Removal
Assessment Activities recap
Seven indoor
sampling events conducted by EPA between September 2022 – July 2023
Installation of
Air Purifying Units (APUs) by EPA November 2022
Sub-slab sampling
and passive soil gas sampling conduct by EPA February & June 2023
Commercial Indoor Air and Sub-slab vapor sampling by EPA November 2023
2nd Community Meeting hosted by EPA with NMED support January 2024
Supplemental Assessment Sampling by NMED April 2024
Diagnostic Testing by EPA March 2024
EPA and NMED Update - Carlisle
EPA is reviewing the diagnostic testing data and will use this data to determine the proper mitigation system needed to address the known and unknown exposure issues on site. EPA will also be using NMED's supplemental assessment sampling data to determine if residential homes outside of the study area require mitigation systems.
If you have any questions
regarding this process or need clarification, please feel free to contact me at
my information below:
Alejandro Lara; email lara.alejandro@epa.gov
(preferred); phone (214) 315-8185.
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